Tuesday, March 31, 2009

• Accountability — Truth Tellers • Provides a place of openness, sharing, and safety • Stretches you out of your comfort zone • Provides friends to walk beside you during tough times • Small Group provides mentoring relationships • People to pray for you

This is so unbelievably true. If you don't belong to something like this, whether a small group or Sunday school class, consider joining one. Our life would not be complete without our Sunday school class. Just thought I'd share. Love to all, and may God bless you today!

Monday, March 30, 2009

Yes, it is and it can be. After yesterday's amazing services at my church, I'm feeling ready to tackle whatever comes my way. I'm armed with the Word of God. I know it's probably not been the best of times this past weekend for all of us, but "But take heart", His Word says, "for I have overcome the world!" If He could overcome death on a cross, then surely we can overcome what we face.

The key is to invite Him in. Even in the mundane things that we think are not important enough. Trust me~He takes interest even in the tiniest detail. He even numbered the hairs on our head!

So, our little life lesson this morning came from the back of our bulletin from the kids' department yesterday. The verse is from 1 Corinthians 3:9. It says, "We work together as partners who belong to God." Family is what that screams to me...and I even had a little lesson to go with it this morning, as I watched Graham and Drew make bad choices on how they treated Jonah and Noah. I told them that as a family, we each have to pull our weight. And right now, the biggest weight they pull is their attitude. I was able to read this verse and a story that went along with it about an ant colony, and out the car they went. Hopefully this verse will come back to them today as they face whatever may come. I posted the verse and the family devotion on my fridge...hopefully we'll have that verse memorized as Friday draws near.

My personal quiet time this morning came from Deuteronomy. I love this book. This is what I read:

Deuteronomy 30:15~20 Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster. 16 For I command you this day to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. 17 But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, 18 then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. 19 Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This is especially fitting because Graham and Drew were baptized in water last night. They died to their old self and came up out of the water their new self. I pray that they remember this as they live their lives. I know that right now they're young and pretty innocent, but I pray that this lasts their entire life. I pray that the Lord places His word deep into the crevices of their hearts and that they can recall what they have learned.

Well, I must go for now....I am doing a little bunny craft with Noah's class this morning and have to go take pictures. Love to all and I hope your day is blessed!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

I can't help myself. Seriously. God is revealing HIS MAJESTY to me. I can't stand it and have GOT to recommend this to you. If you are in need of finding your place in this world, if you need to know that you are important, that you matter, that you are (or can become) a woman of God, then I recommend this study to you. Please please please, if you ever do ANYTHING I suggest, do this. It is absolutely amazing. You don't have to belong to a group to do this one, either. In fact, it's very personal, so if ever there was one you did on your own, this would be it. You can purchase the Bible study workbook, and for a minimal fee, you can purchase the right to view to online dvd sessions that come weekly. But you know what? You don't even have to purchase that. You could just buy the workbook and ignore the viewer guide page~you really do not have to have that.

It is amazing. It's like God set off this bell in my head this morning as I was completing week 2's homework. I practically heard, "DING DING DING DING DING, JENNIFER, THAT'S IT!!! YOU GOT IT!!!! YOU GOT WHAT I WAS TRYING TO TELL YOU THE LAST TIME YOU FREAKED OUT AT TODD OR THE BOYS!!!" Seriously. I got it. I got it.

Beth wrote this poem about the struggles of...well...of LIVING. I love it and laughed out loud and immediately thought of all my bloggy peeps whom I know (maybe some I don't know) and love and pray for almost daily. I had to share it....I pray I'm not breaking any copyright laws by sharing it...but just in case, I got this poem from page 50 of the member book entitled, "Living Beyond Yourself, exploring the fruit of the Spirit", written by Beth Moore. She wrote this several years ago, just in case you were wondering, but I swear, I think it was meant for me, Jennifer Mellyn Lloyd Goodwin, wife to one, mother of 4, employee of an elementary school whose job title is cafeteria monitor (which means passing out smiles, ketchup and love), who sometimes is a good mom, but yells too much on occasion, or freaks out at the hubby (who did nothing to warrant it) too much. Need I go on? I think not. Enjoy the poem.

Superwoman's Freedom Plea, by Beth Moore

Oh, Lord, who said there's just One Life to Live?I'm sure I'm livin' a thousand!The few times I do awake to prayAll My Children start arousin'!

Uh, oh! No time for quiet nowThink quick! The day's beginnin'!I'll try to recall all Oprah's advice...Then my head starts spinnin'!

Make those younguns religious, cautious but not suspiciousAnd watch their self esteem!Yet you be professional, look sensationalAnd keep that house squeaky clean!

And perish the thought you'd forget the needsOf that marvelous man you marriedWhy, throw yourself before him when he raises his eyebrowsAnd quit thinking, "I'd rather be buried!"

Oops, now I'm late for work, the kids hate their clothesAnd the baby's got a coughAs The World Turns so quickly, I'm severely temptedTo take the next jump off.

It's gonna take more than Ryan's Hope for this woman to survive.I cannot abide another deep breath of these Days Of Our Lives!Superwoman? She's a curse. To fake her is impossible!And if I try for one more day, I'll wind up in General Hospital!

I've gotta be here, I've gotta be thereI frankly cannot face it.Rescue me from havoc, please, show me what is basic!Slow me down, Lord, save this life and keep my eyes on You.Satan can have this rat race world~

Remember that commercial with all the different guys saying their yuppy version of "Wassupppp?" And when it got to the white guys, they said, "What are YOU doing??" Funny. Anyway.

I am watching Aaron Stone on DisneyXD with the kiddos. We're having a lazy Saturday. It is seriously freaky looking outside. Sunny in one half the sky, dark clouds on the other half. Weird. Thunderstorms all day, I think, which makes for really fun times when you have a dog that has to go outside to relieve himself. I was thinking about mopping the hardwood floors today, but not if Andy's going to keep muddying them up.

Todd went to help some friends of ours who are moving. They're directors of Teen Challenge, and they just got a new job in Newport News, Virginia. They're loading up today and heading out on Wednesday. The only people there to help were Deb's brother and one guy from Mayflower moving company. So Todd is on his way over there and managed to find one more guy to help as well. Hopefully, more will come. This is yet one more thing I love about our church~the emphasis placed on relationships. This couple is in our Sunday school class, and there's just something nice about knowing that you'll have someone there for you when you need them.

I will be sad to see my friends leave, but I'm also happy for them to have this job. I know they're excited about this new phase in their life, and they're anxious to start their new job. They will be in charge of teenage boys at this Teen Challenge. They also happen to be just a few minutes away from the ocean, which they are super thrilled about.

Moving on to other things, tomorrow is my dad's 78th birthday and we're having a party for him tonight. We're heading over there around 5 or so. I need to go out at some point before then~to get haircuts for Jonah and Drew, and to buy Dad a gift and card. I really am not thrilled with the coming weather, so I may wait until right before we leave and have Todd drop me at the door.

Well, I hear laundry calling me. And the upstairs dust bunny that is residing on the table at the top of the stairs. So, I better go. Have an enjoyable day everyone!

Friday, March 27, 2009

We had the most fabulous~est day ever. Ever, ever, ever. I was so excited about tonight...Mimi and I took the boys to the Orpheum for The Magic Tree House. It was so good. The acting, singing, dancing (even an Irish jig!), scenery, everything was fantabulous. I am not sure who had more fun~me or them. I love exposing them to culture. I had lots of it growing up, and it tickles me pink to do the same for the boys.

Todd is working for the sheriff's department tonight at their Homeland Security office, so while we were all at the play, Wiley (who was our chauffeur) went and hung out with Todd. That just totally sweetened the deal for tonight...not having to drive, then park and walk.

I loved tonight. In case you couldn't tell. The day before was pretty good too. Except for the part where some kid in 4th grade called me a demon. Yup. You read right. The things I put up with...uh. All because I told him I chose who took the trays to the window, not him. Katie, you want this job back, don't you? Hahahaha. I have tough skin, and can take it. I actually laughed about it later b/c it was pretty funny.

Well, I'm getting off this thing and going to have a little late night snack and watch a new sitcom I recorded yesterday. G'night, and love to all.

1 Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth!2 Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy.3 Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.5 For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Psalm 103

1 Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.2 Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things he does for me.3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.4 He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies.5 He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's!

Psalm 104

1 Let all that I am praise the LORD. O LORD my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.2 You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind.4 The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.6 You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains.7 At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.8 Mountains rose and valleys sank to the level you decreed.9 Then you set a a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth.

Psalm 119

9 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.10 I have tried hard to find you~don't let me wander from your commands.11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.12 I praise you, O LORD; teach me your decrees.13 I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given us.14 I have rejoiced in your laws as much as in riches.15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways.16 I will delight in your decrees and not forget your word.

Psalm 128

1 How joyful are those who fear the LORD~all who follows his ways!2 You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How joyful and prosperous you will be!3 Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.4 That is the LORD'S blessing for those who fear him.5 May the LORD continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live.6 May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Because there have been so many negatives about the media, I thought I would post about something positive. In a time where all things biblical are unheard of, CBS actually ended tonight's episode of 'What Would You Do?' with a Bible verse.The last scene they showed was that of a homeless woman who was partially paralyzed helping a man in the street. Not being able to move that well on her own, she was more concerned about his welfare than her own. She credited it all to God. This was the Bible verse they zoomed in on as the show closed:

1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Wow. I was shocked. Aren't you? It was refreshing.

On a lighter note, Tennessee is thinking about making a new law. What is it, you wonder? It is called, THE SAGGY PANTS LAW. This proposed law does what it says. It will prohibit the people from wearing their pants saggy. Seriously? Only Memphis.

I thought I would write. Because I just love to, and I figured you were all dying to see how my appointment went this morning. Lol. I don't really think that. I was just dying to write. :)

So, I went back to the orthopedic this morning and....sigh. I am still in the boot. BUT he did say that on Thursday I could TRY working without it. Notice the all caps on try. I went back to work yesterday and BOTH feet were killing me. It's the floors there. That's all there is to it. Hopefully once I get used to the inserts for my shoes, it will be better. That's what I pray, anyway. The doctor himself told me to go to Sports Authority,so I went and bought a pair of $25 inserts. They're the kind that support the inside of my arch, and the one I have in my right tennis shoe feels heavenly. I think it's going to work, people. You have no idea how much this excites me. I really have not been exaggerating, it's been a painful past few weeks. BUT I'm on the mend.

Onto other things...I am so happy to have a night spent at home, relaxing. I will not be doing ANYTHING (except dinner and cleanup after) after the boys get home. Well, I may go over sight words with Jonah and Noah, and then let them read to me, but that's it. Noah LOVES reading to me. I love to hear him tell Jonah how to sound out a certain word. This morning, however, Jonah was telling Noah the words. I don't think Noah's brain was "on" yet. It takes mine a while, too, poor kid.

Work/school was good today. The kids are all being nice, for the most part. I'm very pleasantly surprised. I was dreading yesterday after being on spring break last week. They usually come back wild, but not yesterday. ONLY 9 MORE WEEKS!!!!!!!! Then it's SUMMER!!!!!!!! My most favoritest of all times of the year! I can hardly wait.

Until then, we have baseball to keep us busy. This is another of my favorite times. Graham's and Drew's team starts practicing pretty heavily this week, and tball should start soon for the little guys. Probably in a couple weeks, or so. Graham is pitching this year! He's thrilled. I'm shocked. Well, not really. We were at conditioning a couple weeks ago, and I was amazing that throw after throw, he was dead center each and every time. I'm so proud. Drew wants to catch, but I'm not sure he really wants to. I think he forgot how hot and disgusted he gets with all that gear on, but we'll see. I love me some nights spent up at the fields watching my boys play. It's my idea of heaven. Especially if it's warm and breezy. :)

Well, I'm going to go and do a few things before I have to pick them up from school. I hope your day was blessed, and Happy Tuesday!!!!

Monday, March 23, 2009

I spent my quiet time this morning in the book of Philippians. I read it through. I love this book. The theme that I picked up on this morning was joy. It's funny how when you read some of the books you've read before, how each time you read it, you pick up a different them. One time I read it before and picked up the theme strength. This morning, ever since I uttered my first prayer in the shower at 6:30, my prayer has been joy. Then God brought me to Philippians. He's good, people. God is good. More so than I can even comprehend.

Thought I'd share some of His word this morning. Enjoy!

Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may life pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation~the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ~for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

1:20...And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ whether I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.

1:27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together in one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only privilege of trusting in Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

2:1 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. 3 Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

3:1 Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

4:4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again~rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I hope you enjoyed reading some of His word this morning as much as I did. May His love shine upon you today, and may the sunlight that you see remind you of HIS SON who loves you and wants to delight in you.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

So....hmmm. I am wondering where to get started. I have lots rolling around in my head. First and most important: I am SO not ready for the boys to return to school. And I guess for me to return to work there at their school. I need to pray for joy to come back to me about my job. It seems to have disappeared around the time Graham started being tormented by a classmate. I was always that weird mom who hated her kids to start school. My sisters will tell you they used to skip with glee down the Walmart isle to buy school supplies for their kids, but not me. I was always the mom who sat in her car for ten minutes after drop off, boo~hooing like a baby. Seriously.

I made it through tonight~I sang in a trio in church, and we sang a very fast, upbeat COUNTRY song. As in John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", which I wanted to add to the end of our song because it sounded just like it, by the way. I thought I was going to hyperventilate after it was over. I was really dreading the song because 1, I didn't know it. I lost my octavo to it, and I lost the cd that had it on there. The other reason was because the song was so fast, and there were so many words in it, that breathing was an issue. The Music Man himself said that very thing. About the fainting, gasping for air, hyperventilating thing, I mean. So I'm thrilled that it's over. I think we did pretty good though. Except that Todd told me the sound was bad...not the voices, but the reverberation of us. Hmmmmm......

I love my church. I mean seriously head over heels in love with the body of believers that I belong to. Everyone should belong to a church like ours. It's all about relationship with the Lord (and others), accountability and having encouragement along life's journey, ya know?! My pastor asked us to mention our church to someone this week. I personally feel we have lots to offer. We have amazing small groups that meet for Sunday school, we have a really strong and thriving kids program, an excellent youth group, and an incredible group that meets every Wed. night called The Experience. We have young married classes, older married with families classes, classes on growing in spirituality, classes on health issues, I mean it when I say that there is something for everyone. We attend Memphis First Assembly of God...go here and read about it if you're interested. We have loads of things coming up for Easter~my all time favorite holiday! I want to jump for joy over the songs that the Music Man has picked for us to praise to!!!! Wonderful, glorious, tear the walls down, THANK YOU JESUS FOR WHO YOU ARE music. I cannot wait. You can go the above link and read about the Easter festivities, or I can just mention them here.

We have a Good Friday service every year. It's on Friday night (duh) and only about an hour long. It's a lot of worship and some word from our Pastor. We have an Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday morning~11am I think, but double check me~for all ages. 1~100, there is somewhere for YOU. My kids love it and cannot wait. On Easter Sunday we have no Sunday school, but church starts at 10:00. So we can leave and chow down on EASTER LUNCH! Yummy, one of my favorite meals that Mom fixes. Ham. Dumplins. Cauliflower salad. Potato salad. Hellodollies. Need I say more??? (And if you're wondering, we do have more food than that, but I cannot remember at this present time.)

So, I am seriously mad at someone at CBS for messing up the schedule AGAIN. Todd and I missed The Amazing Race 14. Dognabbit. The dvr says that it recorded, but 60 Minutes went over their scheduled time, I guess, and it only recorded 15 minutes of our show. I told Todd I didn't even want to watch it, that it was just enough to make me mad. So we didn't. We're watching a show on TLC about a man in Mexico (or somewhere in the vacinity) who weighs 1200 lbs. How? Why? What in the world? I don't even WANT to know how someone can get that big.

Well, since this is another one of my notoriously random posts, and the random thoughts are officially out of my head...I will go. I need some pickle juice. And NO I am not pregnant. I just love pickle juice. So much so that I drank all the juice out of the hamburger pickle jar. GASP! I did. Really. I admit. I am a flawed girl, people. With a major addiction to pickle juice! Ask Todd, he can testify. Drew likes it too. We can go through some pickles, him and I. Well, good night to all, and have a wonderfully easy morning tomorrow of getting your kiddos out the door. Or yourself. Or YOU TRAVIS. What the heck were you thinking, "WHICH CAT DO I LET OUT???" None of them, that's the one. Just the dog. Andy the WonderDog. Oh, and you left our back door unlocked. And not pushed shut very good. Just in case you wanted to know, but THANK YOU for taking care of the aminals for us today while we were gone. Much love to you and your gorgeous wife. Ok, well, really, that's all now. Gnight.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

This is the most typical last full day of spring break. It's cold, rainy and just B.L.A.H. My mood goes right along with it. I'm so sad to have to return to normal next week. We've enjoyed each other so much with all this time off. I am so selfish with the boys and our time together. I figure it'll all be over soon enough so I really do enjoy each and every moment. Even when they drive me bonkers.

We are not doing much of anything today. Especially with the yucky weather. We are going to Mom's & Bill's tonight~it's been a couple weeks since we've been out and we're all having withdrawals. I'm going to do some laundry, and pick up a little before our week starts. Oh, and learn a song I'm singing tomorrow night in church that's really difficult. Can't forget about that one.

We had David and Sunny over last night for steak. Yummy. It was the first time in a long time that we didn't actually play a game while they were here. We just sat and talked. And watched basketball. Fun times. It was kind of nice not doing anything after several hours at the Children's Museum. I love that place but it's kind of draining trying to keep track of all the boys in the midst of several hundred other children running around freely. Then there's the issue of mean kids~I can't stand kids like that. They drive me crazy. There were these 2 little girls that came up to my dad yesterday asking if that boy in the blue shirt belonged to him, and if so could he please tell him to stop being mean? It wasn't Drew (I knew that), but a 2 year old. Seriously. Those girls were like 13 years old. I would have said, "Don't tattle like a 2 year old. Just walk away from him." Pet peeve!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I'm going to finish reading my book. I only have a chapter or two left and then I'm going to start on all that laundry. If only they would stop dirtying up so many clothes.....

Thursday, March 19, 2009

ENJOYING THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF MY KIDS! Seriously. We have had the greatest, most fun and relaxing week. Monday was spent cleaning and getting ready for that night's party, Tuesday we had all the glorious boys over here playing and tramping around in my house, Wednesday the boys went to the zoo with Papa and Mimi, and today we went on a picnic @ Cameron Brown park with Sunny and her crew. FUN FUN FUN. I cannot get enough of being home with these little guys. It's awesome.

Tomorrow we're spending the day with my dad and going to the Children's Museum. Woohoo!!! We took a poll, and their choices were the zoo (sometimes they don't get enough of it, but apparently they did yesterday), the Fire Museum or the Children's Museum. That last one won by a landslide. They have so many cool things to do there...there's an airplane, a "body" they can perform surgery on, an old car they can "drive", a firetruck, police motorcycle, a house they can walk through and ring the doorbells, jungle gym, a miniature sized Kroger (complete with grocery carts~this is Graham's fav. along with the airplane), this place is pure heaven to a child. There's tons of things more that I can't even remember. It's amazing. I don't know who's more excited~them or me.

So right now, what am I doing, you wonder. (Or not) I am sitting here while Graham, Drew, Jonah, Noah and Andy The Wonder Boy playing happily upstairs. Andy is spending the night (hopefully!) with us tonight. The last time it didn't work. They may come to the C.M. with us tomorrow. Sunny was seriously deliberating when I left her this afternoon. Well, for once, I'm not excited about this weekend. I am not ready for Monday to come, and it will come way too fast once the weekend starts. I am excited about tomorrow night because friends are coming over and we're having STEAK! I love me some red meat!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

I found another leak. DOGNABBIT. It's been almost an entire year without one and then I saw "THE SPOT". It was like a choir of angel's singing, "Ahhhhhh!!!!" I looked up to our infamous holes in the ceiling~that really will NEVER GET FIXED NOW~and saw a new mysterious brown spot. I thought we were doing so great with our awful pipes, and now this. For those of you who didn't know us a year ago, we had a MAJOR leak in our wall in the hallway between the downstairs bath and kitchen. As a result, we got a $14,000 remodel job for the grand total of $500 out of our pocket. Not bad, but the mess was horrendous and caused crazy things to happen to me. And that is why these leaks are so dreaded now. Anyway, enough said on that subject.

We survived our sleepover!!!! The boys went to bed at 1am. Well, they went to sleep then, anyway. Todd and I were downstairs watching CSI, and were cracking up at them because they kept getting cracked up. It was hilarious. Everything went great; there ended up being three extra boys here, not four like I'd originally thought. It was the perfect combo, too. He picked some great friends to come. There were no tears (well, not that many), nobody got hurt (well, not that bad), and nobody got left out. Unless it was by their choice. One boy that came doesn't have any gaming system at home, so every time he comes over, he disappears for hours. He sat in front of the PS2 a lot, but it was ok. He was happy and not being left out.

I woke up this morning (at 8:00~not bad for a sleepover) and fixed some St. Patty's Day pancakes! Fun, fun. I had a total Martha moment. I was so proud. Seriously, it was no big deal, I just dumped the better part of a bottle of green food coloring into the batter. It was actually a very pretty green. It's on my fingers still, so I can show you the color if I see you today. :)

We're not doing much today, all the boys are staying over until around 3 this afternoon. I thought I'd let them play as long as they could. It's really nice out right now~well, if you look past the fog, that is~and it's supposed to warm up. Later today I'm taking the boys to Mimi's and Papa's house for a sleepover, then tomorrow they're going to the zoo with them. They're really excited about that. Tonight I have Bible study with the girls, so poor Todd will be on his own. :( Poor baby.

Well, I am going to post some pics from last night and this morning for your pleasure. Enjoy!!!

The green globs, otherwise known as St. Patty's Day pancakes!Check out the green oozing out! Getting the last bit of their sleep in!

So I was interested in learning about the meaning of this day. While I thought I knew the answer, I did a little research and found out some more about it. Here's what I learned:

St. Patrick was not always a saint. He was a young boy named Maewyn, who was kidnapped at the young age of 16. He escaped his captors, and spent the next six years being a shepherd. It was during this time that he experienced a "religious awakening". He studied in a monastery and changed his name to Patrick. He then made it his personal goal to convert his beloved country to Christianity. One of the tools he used to reach the lost was the shamrock~he used it as an example to represent the Trinity~the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

However you choose to celebrate this day, I hope you take a second and thank the Lord for people like this St. Patrick, who have dedicated their lives to Him. Oh, and just because I cannot resist, Top 'o the mornin' to ya!

Monday, March 16, 2009

I have to start off by saying that my dear Daddy amazes me. He (& Sandy) got back from Israel at around 8:30 Friday morning. I imagine that he went home, unloaded and unpacked, probably showered, then he might have sat down for a bit and rested. He left home pretty quickly after that, and came to Collierville. He and Trish ate at McAllister's, then they came over here. He stayed here until almost 5, then went home. I don't know if they went out to eat or not, but I asked him if he went to bed at seven, and it was more like nine before he laid down. Repeat that for Saturday night, as well. Dad is almost 77 years old! He was at church yesterday morning and last night, on top of all that. He held up much better than I would have! It's exhausts me just thinking about it.

So Friday night, Todd worked for the sheriff's department, and I had a friend over. :) The older boys had a 15 minute evaluation for baseball, so we did that, then went to Game Stop and Target. I had promised the boys that I would take them to spend some of their birthday money. It was almost 7 by then, so we grabbed a couple pizzas and came home. Christa and Asher the superdog came over and hung out with us. Until 1am. I haven't stayed up that late in a long time. We had so much fun!

Saturday we did absolutely nothing, I didn't even make the beds. Well, I guess I did do something~I took Graham and Noah to get hair cuts. Then we just laid around being lazy the rest of the day. We went to a wedding that night, then to the reception, so that was our fun for that day. And Sunday was the same as always...I taught Sunday school for the kindergarteners (which I'm glad is over because I always stress about it).

Wow, well written down it doesn't look like much. The boys all had a blast yesterday afternoon, we swapped kids with a couple at church. Hannah came home with Jonah and Noah, and Graham and Drew went home with them. Hannah is precious, and the three of them together look like triplets. Typical blond hair, and blue eyes. It's always fun having a little girl around, too. Different, but fun.

Today we're at home for most of the day...I have a couple of mountains of clothes to wash, then I need to go grocery shopping. Really bad, I mean. No milk, no eggs, no bread, no chips, no other snacky things~and with spring break I need snacks for my growing boys!!!! Graham is having his sleepover tonight and I believe has 4 friends coming. It should be fun, it's a great group of guys. I'm excited for him, he's been really looking forward to this!

So this week is wide open. Well, almost. I do have plans for a couple days, but still, I love no plans. There are so many options and all this time. I plan on taking the older boys to a movie they want to see~Return to Witch Mountain, or something like that. I thought while I did that, Todd could do something with the little guys. Have I ever mentioned how much Jonah hates going to movies???? Well, he does. Even if this were the kind he could see, which it's not.

Well, I'll stop rambling now, and go get a jumpstart on those mountains of clothes waiting to be washed. Fun, fun! Happy Monday!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Do you feel like life kind of depletes your joy? I found comfort in today's devotion, and it's such a simple thought. Isaiah 61:10 says, " I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!" Are we? Really? Sometimes, yes, sometimes....ummm, no. What about when your day goes wrong the second your feet hit the floor? Or when something happens between your kids that you are mortified about? How about when depression or discouragement settle in? Or what about that time you said (or thought) something you really shouldn't have?

I take joy in the fact that first and foremost, the Lord is there for me to delight in. When I ask His forgiveness, He forgives me. Just like that. When I ask Him to guide me through something, He does. He does these things freely~not because His Father tells Him to, but because He wants to. That alone gives me immense joy. I used to think that leading a Christian life was so boring...you never get to do what you really want to....that you just had to be so GOOD all the time. But you know what? It is NEVER boring. Just because I wear the badge doesn't mean that my life is boring and perfect. It is FAR from it. God has gotten me out of my comfort zone a time or two. And that goodness part? My flesh still settles in for a stay every few days. I get mad or upset over the DUMBEST things. Seriously. And I still worry sometimes. Really? Have I not learned that worrying does not add even a single hour to my life? If I profess to love and serve and follow my Lord, then worry should NOT be a part of my daily routine.

I do have this comfort zone~I live a Christian life, read Christian books, hang out with Christian friends, listen to Christian music. I'm safe and content in my little box. Well a few months ago, God put this idea in my head to "step out". Okay, I thought. I can do that. So I started speaking a little more boldly wherever I went. I remember this one day quite fondly. I was eating lunch with coworkers and I said something about the relationship I have with my Jesus, and the whole room just went silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Then, very quickly, the subject changed. I laughed to myself, thinking, "I must have struck someone's nerve." Little by little, things like this have started happening.

Then God put this thought into my head: "You want to go on a mission's trip, but why can't you do something like that in your own city?" Again, not a big deal. Until we were in church and they mentioned Sidewalk Sunday School. It was like a bell was ringing in my head, DING DING DING!!! "This is it, child, this is what I want you to do!" I looked around me, thinking, oh great. Really? Me? Are You sure???? I hate being outside when it's 150 degrees in Memphis. I hate getting up early on Saturdays, much less getting up and then leaving my home. I HATE going into areas of town that I am unfamiliar with. And come on, Sidewalk Sunday School is a TWENTY~THREE WEEK COMMITMENT. Sure, I don't have to go every week, but what excuse would I have for NOT going? I wrestled with these thoughts for WEEKS before I started to feel a peace about it. Then that peace was replaced with excitement. Huge excitement. And now? I can't wait to start!

I know, I know, you're reading this thinking, "Give me a break, this is not a big deal." But for me, this is huge. God keeps on putting ideas into my head about other things, as well, things that I am very very very unsure of. I just feel the need to stay in tune with Him and His will for my life. I feel the need to seek and ask for guidance through prayer and petition. I need to do a better job of putting all my trust in Him. For when that happens, He will show me His way.

I have been wanting to do some sort of outreach thing with the boys. Last year, Todd was a part of a ministry that our church had going feeding the homeless. He took Graham with him a couple times, because we figured he was old enough to handle it. And the child LOVED it. There were these kids that were showing him how to shoot hoops properly, and how to play a more aggressive game of basketball. I would have loved to have been there to see it, but I stayed home with the other boys. We didn't feel they were quite ready to handle something like that without asking a million times, "Is it time to go yet?". I know that Graham will love going and doing this with me, but the other three, I'm unsure of. The Thompsons told us that they don't want a bunch of church kids sitting in a big group together to the side. If kids go, they want them to be mixed in with the other kids, and helping out. Graham LOVES this kind of thing. And who knows, maybe before it's all over and done with the other boys will have come with me a time or two. The thought of serving community TOGETHER as a family is extremely appealing to me. It's all about that, isn't it? Serving.

Well, I just looked at the time, and I must stop for now. I hope you all have an amazing day and weekend. I hope to see some of you at church on Sunday!!!!! If you're looking for a church home, come give ours a try~Memphis First Assembly of God. If you need someone to sit with, I'll be that someone. Love to all!!!!!!

Drew brought me this last night. At first I got really excited because I thought he'd written it by himself, but he didn't write it. He read it in his reading book at school and liked it so he wrote it down. He did tell me that he really loved this poem, though. I love it too and thought it was cute enough to share with my bloggy friends. Enjoy.

By Myself

When I'm by myself and I close my eyesI'm a twinI'm a dimple in a chinI'm a room full of toysI'm a squeaky noiseI'm a gospel songI'm a gongAnd when I open up my eyeswhat I care to be is meOn a different note, it's FRIDAY! And the last day of school before spring break! I don't know who's more excited, me or the boys. I think it's a close tie. We have loads of free time on our hands~I haven't really made any plans yet except for Graham's birthday sleepover. I pray that the weather will be nice for us. Well, I have to run, Drew has chorus this morning and I've got to get him there! Happy Friday!!!!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

So yeah, we're sitting here watching a completely lovely show called, "STOP SHOUTING AT ME!" I kid you not...go to your guide and look on T.L.C. and that's what we're watching. It is about people who have anger management issues on the road. SERIOUSLY. Why do they make shows like this? This one ranks right up there with Parking Wars, How It's Made, and Manhunters. And you wonder why I post up to three blogs a day sometimes.

We had a lovely day. Is it Friday yet? Nope. Not quite. I am so ready for spring break next week. I need a break, the kids need a break, the teachers need breaks from their kids, and I am just over it all. I am so tired of packing lunches. Have I ever mentioned how bad I hate packing them??? Spring break is so worth not packing lunches and snacks for four. Ahem, 5, I mean. I guess I could be more prepared and do it when they empty out their bags from the day, but by that time of day, I'm just ready to collapse. Thinking about what I should send for them tomorrow is not high on the priority list at that time of day. And then I have the issue of their lunches coming back home full. Yup, full. Drew especially, has not been hungry all week and is not eating his sandwich. What do you do in that case? I'm not going to not send him lunch...I think he's just tired of what I'm packing, although I don't know how. I pack something different almost every day. Well, as far as sandwiches go.

Did I mention that for the first time in five years, a teacher requested a conference with me? Guess who's teacher? Did you guess DREW? If you did, then you get the prize. I gotta admit, when I read that note, my stomach dropped. I actually got nervous, and I'm the parent, now! What in the world is that all about? She ended up telling me that it was nothing major...she just hadn't had a chance to talk to me this year, and she wanted me to know where he started at the beginning of the year, and where he was now. She made me feel very good about him, and she had nothing but great things to say. Except for his penmanship, which leaves a lot to be desired. I'm okay with it though, because his grades are near perfect. He loves her and she loves him. It's a great match. For now, all is well.

The kiddos are all nestled in their beds now, and I think this show is about to be over, so I am going to try and finagle the remote away from the hubby now. We'll see how it goes. Don't you love the randomness with which I write? My life is this way, obviously. So random. So crazy. So much fun. So boring sometimes that I run out of things to write about~GASP!!!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

How do you like the title? It's not wacky, by the way, I just thought I would title this post that way. :) I came across a quote that I really like and thought I'd share. It was in my devotion for today."Every thought we think, in every hour we live, must be not necessarily about Christ, but it must be the thought Christ would think were He placed in our circumstances and subject to our conditions. This is what it means really to feed on Him and be nourished by the true Bread of Life that cometh down from Heaven."~Hannah Whiteall Smith (1832~1911), Quaker Lay Speaker and Author

I love the passage that says "our thoughts are not our thoughts". It's along the same lines as the above quote. I have to sit back and think about myself, though. I must admit, I do not always have the thoughts that Jesus Himself would have. Jesus is not too happy with me when I have bad thoughts like that. Whether they are judgmental, nagging, negative, mean, jealous, it does not matter. All I know is it happens way too often.

So today I am challenging myself (and you if you would like to join me) to start thinking more like Jesus. I never profess to be perfect or to never get mad again, but when I feel that thought creeping in, I am going to ask the Lord to take it right back out of my head. I do not need thoughts like that, and all I have to do is ask Him to take it away and He will. He delights in us, remember, and I think He would be delighted to do this for me.

The Lord uses lyrics in songs to speak to me sometimes and last night (in one of my negative thinking times) He used this song. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did last night. This is In Christ Alone by Travis Cottrell.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Before she even met with the surgeon, the doctor called her and told that the mass was completely benign. Praise His name! She still has to have the lumpectomy because though she does not have cancer, those are the kinds of masses that can turn into cancer. She will have to go back every six months for a while, but all is well! Thanks for praying with me!

And once again, I am taken back to when Graham was born. Todd and I were young...I was only 22 when he was born, and scared out of my mind about a baby! Even though I'd been raised with nephews and a niece, the thought of my own was enough to terrify me. I was hoping for an instruction manual when he was born, but of course, that was not the case.

He came into the world at around noon on Tuesday, March 11, 1999. He weighed 8lbs even and was the most perfect example of God's creation. He had blue eyes and, except for a mark on his cheek where they used forceps, was perfect. I had read about some moms who didn't feel an immediate attachment with their newborn, but that was not the case for me. I knew that when they placed him in my arms that first time that he had won my heart. I had never loved any other human being with the strength that I loved my little Graham.

He started taking good naps right off, but I used to pick him up and hold him while he slept so I could get some cuddle time with him. He was my precious baby, and I had been created just to be his mom. Little did I know that I would only have 13 months alone with him, but that didn't make our time any less special. He filled my heart even more as he got older, and I loved him more each day. Of course all those curls helped. He had the cutest personality, and he had this adorable habit of scrunching up his nose and eyes when he smiled. He was my little angel.

As he's gotten older, God has put His mark all over Graham's life. Graham knew that I was having twins before I knew I was having twins. He's always been super sensitive to others, and he can pray in such a way that reduces a room full of adults to a puddle of water in a matter of minutes. He talks to God like He is sitting next to him, and he is always quick to share with someone how much he loves the Lord. He puts others needs before his own, and he's gotten a reputation for doing that in school. He has gotten tons of little rewards in school for being kind to others. This one time he saw a special needs little girl in the hall crying and he asked the teacher assistant that was with her what was wrong. The little girl had forgotten her snack at home and was upset. Graham immediately stopped, took off his backpack and gave the little girl his snack. He told the t.a. that he had some extra food in his lunch box, and she could have his. This is the way that he loves people, and I love him even more for how he is.

Graham walks around with a song in his heart at all times, and though he may be small in stature, he is huge in personality. He has confidence and some pretty impressive God~given abilities in school. And I am almost positive that he is much smarter than me. His IQ is right at freaky level. Seriously. I could not be more proud of anyone, and I am so thankful that I have the privelege of being his mom. This is what I was created to do.

Pray. I have a friend named Kim who is meeting with a surgeon today to schedule her lumpectomy. She is very young~mid thirties~with her oldest child only in kindergarten. It is definitely NOT just a cyst, and they're not at all very optimistic about this mass being benign. Please pray for her today after you read this...I am too. Thank you in advance, and I'll keep ya posted.

Monday, March 9, 2009

God changed our lives when He gave us Jonah and Noah. We had thought we were finished having kids, but God had other plans. I will never forget the day I found out I was having twins...I'd scheduled an appointment with an ultrasound because I was really getting big pretty fast. I went alone, because third pregnancy, third child, been there done that, right?! I about fell off the table when I saw those 2 little heart beats on the monitor. I was terrified, and excited all at once.

I called Todd when the appointment was over and told him my due date. I think my words were, "My due date is March 29th, but since there's 2, it'll probably be a couple weeks before that." Silence. Complete and utter silence. I ended up having to ask him if he was still there, and I'm pretty sure he mumbled something incoherent to my ears. Those seven months were the longest (and shortest!) months of my life. I could not wait to get my hands on my sweet little babies.

Eighty (ninety?) pounds, seven months and 14 pounds of babies later, I held them in my arms for the first time. I remember looking at them for that first time and thinking, "Who do I look at first? And for how long? I don't want the other one to feel left out!" Yup, crazy thoughts. Must have been all that delightful happy drug they'd put in my spine. I was giddy. Well, sort of. Graham was terribly sick when I had them~he was home suffering from strep throat. And his birthday (4th) was the very next day. And he got even sicker that next day. It was a rough week.

My life has been a whirlwind of emotions since that day, six years earlier. I always thought I would call them my "babies", but they tell me they are now big boys. I love how they still hug each other before they leave each other's company...today, for instance, Jonah took a book to Noah's class today and started to leave, but Noah held his arms out and made him come back and hug him. I pray they will forever remain that close. They are very protective of each other, too, and I pray that never changes either. These little guys have brought me huge joy. They have been so much fun to raise and experience the whole "twin thing", as I like to say.

They are definitely different than a single child...and one I will forever be thankful for. I cherish each moment and I embrace their differences and their similarities. I thought my heart was going to break when they were separated at school this year, but they have overcome all their fears and insecurities without each other. It's been a good experience, but a sad one. I will never have those days back. One of my favorite memories is of them walking downstairs one morning holding hands. I asked them why they were holding hands and Jonah said, "It's because we're best friends and we love each other." My heart swelled up huge within me. I have loved every single second that God has given me. Thank You, Lord, for my family~all of them.

We had such an amazing weekend...a fast one, but fun, nonetheless. I could not help but feel extremely blessed as we spent our entire weekend with friends and family. In the midst of Jonah's and Noah's birthday party Saturday night as I looked around, I got really choked up. God has blessed our family and friends so much. And He has blessed us by giving them to us. I love them all so much. I truly felt that all of our best friends were here with us that night. Our families know and love them, we know their families and fit right in, there's just an invisible line between us and them. We fit into each other's lives perfectly.

God has also blessed me with some amazing girlfriends...the kind of friend that Proverbs 27:17 speaks of: "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." I have that with several different girlfriends, and I feel blessed because of it. I challenge you to spend some time this week with your gal pals, whoever they may be. Cultivate those relationships...it takes extra time, but it is well worth the effort. I know that some of us say that our husband is our best friend, and while he very well may be, there's just something DIFFERENT about a girlfriend. Women can love and care for each other in ways that men cannot. And I don't mean that in any sort of negative way, but men just don't understand all that we girls need and want. Of course we could tell them, and they could try to fill in those gaps, but it won't be the same. I can't help but think of the word nourish when I think of my friendships. Nourish, according to the Webster's dictionary, means to promote the growth of, to furnish or sustain with nutriment. Some other words for nourish are nurture, rear, feed, maintain and support. Can you honestly think of better words than those to describe our friendships?

I didn't mean to get off on that subject this morning, it's amazing where God takes me with this whole writing thing. My prayer is that He will use this to His benefit...my blog, that is. I hope this gives some of you some encouragement for this new day. Well, I have to run...love to all, and Happy Monday!!!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

My darling little Jonah~bug woke me up at the crack of dawn this morning. Way too early for a very busy Saturday. We came home @ 9:30 or so and were in bed about an hour later. It was just the little guys and myself; Todd and the older boys camped out at Mom's and Bill's. And apparently got woken up @ 2am from the wind trying to blow them over! It was a gorgeous night for camping...they went out at 9 and it was 60 degrees or so and a perfectly clear night. All the stars were showing off their brilliance. It was beautiful.

I slept blissfully...until 7am when I heard someone singing in the bathroom. My precious little Jonah. God bless his little heart. He's just so happy. I went ahead and put on "the boot" and came downstairs with him. I drank coffee and checked email while he played his gameboy. Then he put it down and we started talking. He does love to talk, my sweet little boy. We talked about deer, and how they're a lot bigger than Santa's reindeer, and we discussed why the deer's antler's came off (we were watching a show about animals). He thought that was sad, but I explained that it didn't hurt the deer. Then we talked about their party today. He is really excited about his friends coming over. He asked if he was 6 today, or on Tuesday when his real birthday is. It's funny how he still doesn't really get that. He's just precious, though.

We talked a little more while I drank coffee and he drank his chocolate milk, then finally he went upstairs and woke poor sleeping Noah. Who fell asleep on the couch in 2 minutes last night at about 9:45. God bless his little heart. They ran all night at Mom's last night. For like 2 hours, that was all they did. He wore himself out. Anyway, so now they're upstairs playing and catching up since the last time they spoke, and we're waiting on the rest of the fam to get home. I texted Todd, but didn't get one back. I'm about to just call him and see what they're doing. We have a super busy day!!! Lots of work to do before this afternoon.

Well, speaking of that, I'm going to get off here and get started. Laundry is calling my name ever so loudly. And the vacuum. And the dust bunnies. AND...AND....AND....aaahhhh, such is life. Y'all have an amazing Saturday! Love ya bunches!!!!

Friday, March 6, 2009

So I am loving this weather! This is Jonah's and Noah's weekend that they're having their party, and it could not be better outside. Amazing weather! I'm so happy! I cannot believe that in 4 days my babies will turn 6. How time flies. It has been an incredible journey with them, and while it was hard at first, I would not trade one second. I am so honored to be their mom. They are fun, lovable, funny, imaginative, creative (articulate as Jonah's teacher says), smart and just down right adorable. I love them. And want to squeeze and kiss them. Which I do. I love being their mom. And lest you think I don't love the other 2, I do! Every single ounce as much as I love the twinks. I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

I am so excited about this weekend! I'm checking them out early today~@2~and we're going to Mom's and Bill's for a yummy dinner. Chicken and dressing. Does it get any better? The boys will be camping out for the first time tonight! I don't know who's more excited, Todd or the boys. It is great camping weather. I will be sitting this one out, however, and will be coming home for some quiet time. And maybe a movie or two. Chick flick, I mean. :) Ahhhh, happiness surrounds that thought. Tomorrow we have a birthday part to attend (Happy Bday, Camo!!!), a wedding to go to, and a party to host. Whew. And about 30 people all up in my house. I love it. The more the merrier!! I just found out that a community theatre is putting on the production, Tuck Everlasting, and am thinking about taking Drew. Third grade book club is reading that book right now and I think he would love it. Plus the tickets are only $7. Seriously.

It's gonna be a busy one, but an amazing weekend. I can't wait to start it! In the meantime, here are some yummy words that I will leave you with. Love to all and Happy Friday!!!1 Peter 2:5 And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What's more, you are holy priests.

9 ...for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of darkeness into His wonderful light. 10 Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy.

Ch. 3:8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

Oh, and one more thing....I have some HUGE decisions to make, so will you pray for me? I am losing sleep at night and am seeking God's will for what could be a life~changing experience. And no, I am not becoming a missionary to a third world country. Just thought I'd let you know that. Although....lol, kidding, kidding, kidding. I will share more about this someday, but not yet. I am unwilling to talk to anyone about this because I don't want anything or anyone to influence my decision. So pray, pray, and then pray some more!!!! Thanks in advance!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

So we all know that God is the great Make~Over Artist, right? Well, for those of you who don't know me all that well (yet), I used to be a rude, prideful, horrible, revenge~seeking person. Gasp! Yup. You read it. I did. And I can still revert back to those same old ways, but then I quietly whisper, "God, change me. From the inside out. Give me a new attitude for this day and the ones to follow." And just like that, He does. I am nobody without Him. Or at least nobody that any of you would like to be friends with. So I am thankful that He has changed me, and that He has given me family and friends in abundance. Here are some words on what the Lord has to say about newness in Him.

Hebrews 12

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice~the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection , and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you. Don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

I was pretty much the exact opposite of these verses. Really. So if you are reading this today and thinking, "No way could I ever do what those verses tell me to", well then sister (brother), you are wrong. W.R.O.N.G. We are all God's masterpiece...He has created us anew in Him! Eph. 2:10 is where that comes from. I never in a million years would have thought I would be who I am today...and I'm still not, at least not on my own. God has made me new. This is that Spiritual birth the Bible talks about...we are born again when we ask Him for forgiveness and invite Him into our hearts. We no longer want to be who we were before we asked His forgiveness~we want our words and our actions to be pleasing to Him, we want to know what He wants us to do in order to do that. That's why the Bible is my life's instruction manual. There is no greater book around...it speaks on marriage, parenting, everything and anything you could ever imagine is packed into 1488 pages. Why do you think I have at least one in every room of my house? I want it nearby at all times.

The above that I spoke of was about 4 years ago, by the way. Not all that long ago. God took me down some crazy paths, and someday I will share more of it, but He was preparing the way for me to draw closer to Him. There was a time when He was all I had. I went through one of the darkest phases of my life a few years back, and while I loved my family, I was alone, with no one to care for me, except for my Heavenly Father. I learned to completely lean on Him and to depend on Him. Was that a fun time? Heavens, no! BUT you know what? I rejoice in that trial that I went through now...it was part of that molding process He was doing in me.

So if this you today, then you have hope! You have hope in the Lord. If you are discouraged (like I was), God has not forgotten you. I would encourage you to read some of the book of Proverbs. There is some amazing wisdom in that book of the Bible, and it's one of my absolute favorites. I honestly have to read it in small doses because if you read it too quickly, nothing will soak in. There is tons of information packed into that one short book!!!!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

So I am sitting here, reading my oh~so~loved women's friendship devotional book (they should pay me for bragging on it this much) when I came to today's entry. I love it so much that I am going to share it with you.

Today's verse comes from 2 Thessalonians 2:16&17 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.

Remember one of yesterday's random thoughts about me being a loyal wife/mom/daughter/sister/friend/aunt? Well, I admit that I was having a bit of a hard time with always being a giver in my relationships. I know now (by spending quiet time before the Lord this morning) that one of the gifts He has given to me is encouragement. Hence this blog, my need to comment on silly little things to even strange people, and my need to please any/everyone. But last night, as I vented to Mom on the phone (Thank you, Mom), I was a little at my wit's end. Okay, okay, a lot at my wit's end. Then I read my devo of the day, and the Lord had something for me. He spoke to me through this devo. These are the words I read:"What if your own heart is discouraged? What if people in your home or at work aren't being encouraging to you, and your "emotional tank" is empty? In times like these, look to the Lord, for He is your greatest Encourager. God's word, his love letter to you, is full of encouraging truth and precious promises that will infuse you with courage and hope: that He loves you with an everlasting, unconditional love and that He chose you before you even existed (Eph. 1:11 "Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan."). He promises to be your strength, to help you, to uphold you, and to guide you continually (Isaiah 58:11 "The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well~watered garden, like an ever~flowing spring."). He will hide you in times of trouble (Psalm 27:5 "For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in His sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock."), and His plan for you has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, " says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."). When you pray, your Father hears you (Psalm 120:1 "I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer.") and is attentive to your voice. When you call on Him in even the greatest distress, He will answer you and set you in a large place. He is for you, not against you, and He is on your side (Psalm 118:5&6 "In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free. The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?").***All of this one paragraph was taken from this book: "The One Year Women's Friendship Devotional" written by Cheri Heath Fuller & Sandra P. Alrich.***

Was that meant for me for today or what? Is it also meant for you? The Lord struck me with the thought that it doesn't matter if my emotional tank is empty, He is what fills me up. When I am low on the giving aspect of my relationships, if I look to Him, He will refill me with what I need so I can start all over. He is Rock. He is my Strength. He is my Refuge. No one else. Just Him. It's all about HIM.

So come on day, bring whatever you may. I am ready, and my tank is full. What do you need from me today? Can I pray for you? Can I do something for you? Do you just need to read these words and know that there is ONE who loves you regardless? Breathe in these words of life~these words from the Living, Breathing Word of God. I am here for you today and praying for everyone who reads this.

Isaiah 40:3~8 "Listen! It's the voice of someone shouting, "Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! 4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hill. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!" 6 A voice said, "Shout! I asked, "What should I shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of the LORD stands forever."

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

So, this is what I've been thinking about over the past 24 hours. Just in case you want to know what goes through my head.

Why do I keep on watching The Bachelor? Especially after last night's episode. And, of course, I'm watching Part 2 of After The Final Rose.

In reference to the above statement, girls are catty. Thank You, Lord, for my boys. All 4 of them.

Referring to my children's education...do I continue to let the public school system educate them, or do I do it here, at home? Do I want all the political correctness to forever dampen the way they learn? Do I really want all the junk to continue? Like not being able to speak about their beliefs, or to continue to put up with mean kids?

What the heck was I thinking taking a job when I'd only had two weeks of freedom?!?!?!

I wish I was going to Israel with my dad. He leaves Thursday for the Holy Land.

Will I be able to remember all of the boys' childhood so I can retell it to my grandkids? If we're still around, that is...

Dear Lord, come quickly.

Why is money so important? It truly does NOT make the world go 'round. What does make it go 'round is only found by looking above.

Why do people not get God? If only they would stop analyzing and pondering...He wants us to have the unwavering faith of a little child.

"I will arise, when He calls my name. No more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagles' wings, before my God, fall on my knees, I will rise." ~new song by Chris Tomlin

Are friends truly forever? Is family more loyal than anyone else? What am I doing to be a forever friend, a loyal wife/mom/daughter/sister/aunt? Am I doing all I can do to reach the lost in my life? Will they care that I am trying to reach them? Do they know What I want them to have? WHO I want them to know?

What does GOD want for me? Will it come to fruition?

Am I too hard on my kids? Do I expect too much? Will they remember me in a fun sort of way?

I wonder if there's a good time for me to start a Bible study. I wonder if I could do it, if people would come, when would we meet, do I really want to head it?

How long will I continue to come up with cheesy names for this blog?

Why can't I get up early every single day without hitting the snooze button?

Will I pull all the birthday parties together without pulling out all my hair?

Why do I feel so much pressure to go way above the norm for these parties?

Well, I have another dvr'd show to watch....the newest Jon and Kate from last night. Love to all, and good night!!!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Wow. It's been THREE DAYS since I've posted??? What is my world coming to? I think that's an all time record for me. Well, if you've been just DYING to catch up, here you go. I'm smiling as I write that, by the way.

Our incredible friends and neighbors, Travis and Katie, came over and had dinner with us. Katie made some fantabulous chicken spinach lasagna. Y.U.M.M.O. And it was. I am shocked there was any left, but surprisingly, there was, just a tiny bit. We sat around and talked and caught up, since we never see them. Well, at least we hadn't seen them in 24 hours or so. Hey, Katie and me~we have a lot in common, ya know??? And I don't talk on the phone anymore. Well, I do talk to her, my sisters and my mom. Only because they always call. :) And let me end that statement with adding, "And I would soooo miss them if they didn't!!!" I really would! Sleepiness was crowding in, so I retired upstairs to get some decent sleep before I had to wake up early the next morning.

Which brings me to Saturday. Phyllis, my friend Christa and me went to the Women of Hope women's conference together. Lysa Terkeurst was there speaking. For those of you who don't know her, she's the cofounder of Proverbs 31 Ministries (proverbs31.org). She captivated us for the next three hours. It was amazing. Her testimony is awesome, and if you're interested in reading more about her, I have a link to her blog on my blog list to the right. Wow, I would have made a great flight attendant. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, please focus on the links posted to the right of the screen." Picture my 2~fingered point to that side. Anyway, it was great. Phyllis and I had lunch afterwards, which was nice. We don't get to be alone much.

Last night, amidst all the snow (rain, sleet, hail), we ventured to the Amazing Andy's birthday party. And had a blast. Sunshine fed us some yummy food (don't expect that next week, by the way!), and the kids ran and played and laughed their little hearts out while us adults sat around long after the festivities ended and played farkle. Fun times. It's cool when you're part of your friends' family, ya know??? Which, Katie and Travis, if you're reading this, party at our house next Saturday at 4:30 for Jonah and Noah. Don't feel obligated to buy a present for them, but we'd love to have you over as part of our fam. :)

We came home (with reluctance), and went to bed. Well, me and the boys. Hubs sat up until 1:30 in the a.m. Yes, you read right. He was watching the snow fall! And fall, it did. It was beautiful when we woke up this morning. We stayed home from church and just relaxed. And the kids played in the snow. We met my Dad & Sandy for lunch at TGI Friday's for their bday dinner. They all got new sleeping bags for when we go camping! Well, I see "we", but I may have been ousted of this all~male occasion. They are trying them out tonight to see how they work. Hey, I couldn't resist. It's the least I could do, since tomorrow will not be a snow day.

So, after lunch, I came in and took a nap, then went over to Katie's to watch a movie (chick flick) with her. It was great. Nice, dark, and quiet. Ahhh, the sound of silence. It's a beautiful thing. So now, I'm writing, and they're watching Sunny With A Chance, a really dumb new show on Disney. But they're happy, so what can I say?

Well, I hope I haven't bored you to tears. Such is my life. Hope you all had a marvelous weekend! I'll try not to take so long to post the next time...